This Company In Austria Focuses On Free-Range Hunting

Published: February - 2008

Austria is an often overlooked hunting destination passed over by US hunters in favor of Spain, Romania and Hungary. But Austria has just as much to offer as these other destinations in terms of variety of game, wilderness environs and general tourism. And although a lot of high-fenced hunting occurs in Austria, there are some free-range hunting opportunities. Subscriber Richard Pinkham discovered an operation this past June that offers just that. The company is called Hunt-Austria.

This operation is based in central Austria about halfway in between the capitol of Vienna in the east and Salzburg on the German border. Headquartered in a 15th century mansion converted into a hunting lodge, third-generation operator Phillip Kunze and his partner have secured hunting areas literally within minutes of their facility. Pinkham says the lodge sits on a large property surrounded by other unfenced properties, allowing the game to come and go. Hunting can literally start just a short walk from the door up the road and surrounding mountains. Many areas take a 25-minute drive. The farthest hunting spots are about 1½ hours from the lodge.

Kunze hunts mostly on private properties, but also has some government concessions. He says 90 percent of his hunting is free-range. Hunt-Austria owns some of the property it hunts and leases others. Kunze says they also offer fenced hunting for clients who want that. The game he offers behind the wire is wild boar, red stag and mouflon. But he also has these species in free-range areas, as well as roebuck and fallow deer, and all his alpine ibex and chamois hunts are free-range.

Most of Kunze's clients are Europeans, but he says he has always had some American hunters and has begun to market more to this group. This past fall, he says he hosted the producers of The American Out- doorsman television show, filming two shows that are to air in the United States. Kunze says he spent three years in the US learning English when he was a youngster, so he is quite familiar with American culture and........(continued)